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Abstract
This purpose of this study was to determine the perceived need for mental health services of school based staff within two school districts: one school district located in Northern Delaware and the other found on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The study focused on the geographical location, characteristics of suburban verses rural, and any possible trends or differences among the identified districts. This study provided direct feedback from school based staff pertaining to the possible need for mental health services and interventions to those respective school districts. The intent was to determine if school staff perceived a need for mental health services within their school when measured by the 2015 School Children’s Mental Health at Serious Risk Survey of England’s Association of Teachers and Lecturers.
The focus of this study was to target the following questions: 1. Is there a statistically significant difference in staff perception when comparing high and low poverty schools? 2. Is there a statistically significant difference in the perceptions of staff when disaggregated by school level (i.e., elementary, middle, high)? 3. Is there a statistically significant difference in the perceptions of staff when comparing DE and MD?